US Deportees "Bound & Beaten" in Equatorial Guinea Detention Hotel
US Deportees "Bound & Beaten" in Equatorial Guinea Detention Hotel
Shocking reports reveal US deportees trapped in Equatorial Guinea's Hotel Bamy face beatings, poor conditions, and human rights abuses after removal from the US. A growing crisis demands attention.
Reports are emerging that men deported from the United States to Equatorial Guinea are being subjected to brutal treatment and dire conditions at the Hotel Bamy, a facility now serving as a detention center in Malabo. Human rights lawyers and witnesses claim that at least two deportees were severely beaten, hooded, and pushed down stairs, all within sight of other detainees.
The alleged assault, which occurred on September 11, targeted Ahmed Soliman, 31, from Egypt, and Samson Birhane, 47, from Eritrea. Witnesses recounted that police officers screamed, "Where is the phone? Where is the phone!" as they beat the men.
This incident reportedly followed the release of a video exposing the appalling conditions and violent behavior of guards at the hotel.
Detainees had been using cellphones to communicate with legal teams and media outlets about their plight.
These men are among approximately 30 individuals, originating from various African countries, Cuba, and Brazil, who remain trapped at the Hotel Bamy after their removal from the US.
The Trump administration initiated a program sending individuals who could not be directly deported to their home countries due to risks of torture or persecution, instead sending them to third countries like Equatorial Guinea. The US has reportedly paid $7.5 million to Equatorial Guinea as part of this cooperation deal. Detainees describe a terrifying environment where armed guards maintain constant surveillance.
They report a severe lack of medical care, with one individual suffering from a critical stomach hernia unable to see a doctor. Access to essential medications for conditions like HIV and diabetes is precarious, often only obtainable through human rights lawyers, and there's a constant fear that even this limited access could be arbitrarily cut off.
Many deportees do not speak the local language and have no ties to Equatorial Guinea, leaving them in a vulnerable legal and social limbo.
Human rights advocates have been raising alarms for months about the dangerous conditions at Hotel Bamy.
Concerns are amplified by Equatorial Guinea's authoritarian government, which is notorious for human rights abuses, including torture, according to the US State Department.
The recent violence has left other deportees with vivid flashbacks and a profound fear of becoming the next target of retaliation for speaking out.
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